The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Biogen Idec’s multiple sclerosis drug Plegridy as a treatment for adults with relapsing forms of MS or RMS. This encompasses people who experience periodic MS attacks, such as those who have relapsing-remitting MS or secondary-progressive MS with relapses.

The new drug was green-lighted based on the results of a 2-year long global ADVANCE study. The research included 1,516 people with relapsing forms of MS. It showed that PLEGRIDY reduced annualized relapse rates at one year by 35.6% in patients getting injections every two weeks and by 27.5% in those on four-week dosing compared with placebo. It met all primary and secondary endpoints by significantly reducing disease activity including relapses, disability progression and brain lesions compared to placebo, and showed favorable safety and tolerability profiles at one year.

Similar to Biogen’s multiple sclerosis drug Avonex, PLEGRIDY belongs to the interferon class of medicines. But unlike Avonex, PLEGRIDY has an extended half-life, allowing for a less-frequent dosing schedule. It is dosed once every 2 weeks instead of once per week.

PLEGRIDY is administered with an autoinjector or a prefilled syringe subcutaneously instead of intramuscularly. This means PLEGRIDY is injected under the skin with a smaller needle, which can be less painful.

Biogen expects PLEGRIDY to eventually replace its older best seller Avonex, which has compiled global sales of more than $1.5 billion in the first half of this year. They also want to take market share from other rivals even as overall sales from the class declines with the increasing popularity of oral treatments. The company said it would continue to support Avonex for patients who are comfortable with the treatment and not looking to switch.

The most common side effects to PLEGRIDY are injection site reactions, flu-like illness, fever, headache, muscle pain, chills, injection site pain, weakness, and joint pain.

PLEGRIDY is expected to be available by prescription in mid-September 2014.

So far, the news about PLEGRIDY seems very promising. I think it’s encouraging to have additional treatment options available. Too me, PLEGRIDY sounds like a new-and-improved version of Avonex. It’s especially great that the injections are once every two weeks.

The question is, overall what does this mean?

Does the development of new drugs like PLEGRIDY bring us closer to a cure?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Source- BIOGEN IDEC’S Press Release- Friday, August 15, 2014 6:32 pm EDT http://www.biogenidec.com/press_release

I’ve been on Plegridy since September 2016. I feel horrible each and every time. Flu fever chills stabbing throbbing headache starts about 8 -10 host later and can last up to a day and a half.

My Neurologist just asked if it was any worse than it was before. He suggested I plan on resting and taking it easy. He also said the alternative to medication is worse so basically to shut up and deal with it.

Well I can honestly say I’ve been regular in my injections but the side effects really don’t get better. Depressing for sure.

I got my first ( half ! ) injection of plegridy last week on monday
which is 11 days ago . This is my first treatment for ms .
I absolutely hate it .
I didn’t feel the injection at all . And the first days were more or less O K .
But since last thursday ( 4th day after injection ) I don’t feel good .
There is this pressure on my chest,around my mouth and heavy arms . This went on for a couple of days .
Since yesterday ( one week after this first ( half ) injection I ‘m feeling O K in the morning but in the afternoon I’m feeling more and more weak and sick .
Is this a normal reaction ? 11 days !!!!!!!!!!!

I am so confused as to what I ahould be or not be using. Was on Copaxone for a little over a year. An MRI indicated that I had a new lesion. So….now I am on Plegridy. It makes me so sick. It makes me weak and achy. Horrible headaches. I hate it…it is making my life so miserable.

Well I started on plegridy march 28th,the first dose only gave me a mild headache,the second dose 93mcg.Gave me awlful flu-like symptoms,I had them for a week,My fever stayed around 103 for over 6 days,they had to give me predisone to get it down,it caused me to pass out,and I had dripping cold sweats,Today I took my dose of 125mcg..We will see what happens..The best drug ever for me was Tysabri,Only a slight headache after each dose,But I too have the Jc virus,and my doctor said I was at a higher risk of getting PML,because my 1st neurologists,that i had gave me 2yrs of Novantrone which is a last result drug they give you for MS..But I got it first,and it messed me up taking the tysabri…But for me by far hands down Tysabri is the best drug….I took Betaseron it messed my thyroid up & my liver,so I don`t recommend it…I just hope this 125mcg. doesn`t make me sick like the 93mcg did,If so I may have to do without medication..Cause it`s not worth it too me to stay sick 24 days out of a month due to 2 injections..I enjoy my church and my family to much to be laid up in bed for 24 daysThanks

I am choosing the only route available for ppms which is ampyra , tizanidine, and lots of supplements while debating whether to start on low dose naltrexone. I have a kale smoothie to amp up my nutrients and at the very least prevent fatigue . I hope this medication works for you, Nicole !!! Keep on reading and trying !!!

The Great Unanswered Question is always “Will this help ME?!?!?” Well, They don’t know, especially because They don’t really know why all this MS Crap is actually happening. They know what, but not WHY, and throwing high-profit crap over the wall at us hoping that we’ll feel better because of faceless statistics… Well, to put not too fine a point on it, that sucks.

Hearing Their coffers go “ka-CHING” definitely does not make me feel better. But that’s not Their priority, is it?

Excuse me, it’s time to go take my Chinese-medicine herbs. Which my herbalist says will help ME and never, ever, uses the phrase “is thought to.” Chinese herbalists have been using this stuff for several thousand years… they KNOW what it does. A nice change, eh? No needles, no side effects besides funky flavors, which are VERY easy to deal with.

And Linda: I’m *definitely* behind you on this one! And with you in the SPMS club. They told me I’m not PPMS, I’m SPMS… from my wheelchair, and the Medical Crap I have to deal with, I don’t really see a difference.

Thanks for this! I have been pleasantly surprised to see so many studies, trials and general enthusiasm for finding cures and treatments for this disease. I’m sad to see so many more people suffering as time passes, but the increase in disease has propelled progress. I don’t think interferons are right for me, but I’m glad for the speed with which new treatments are being successfully tested and approved.

I won’t take any of the drugs. I am in SPMS and have managed around this disease for 31 years. The studies show none of the drugs change the life cycle of the disease….AND all of them re potentially damaging to your organs. You are right that Pharma wants to treat($$$) the disease…not cure it. Have you noticed that not one pharmaceutical company is looking for the mysterious VIRUS that supposedly is the culprit of MS?

You are kidding yourself if you think they (pharmaceutical companies) are looking for a cure. They make too much money on simply treating this disease. They cure it, the money stops flowing.
PLEGRIDY sounds pretty good, even if it is reformulated AVONEX. Subcutaneous injections every 2 weeks beats intra-muscular injections every week hand down. But they still hurt. I made a promise to myself years ago that I was NEVER going to go back on an injectable. If I have to stop the Tecfidera, I’ll take my chances with Tysabri again (I was on it for 3 years and am JC positive). That is how much I don’t want to give myself another injection.

I noticed you said you are JC positive. Have you ever been on Tysabri? If so what was your white blood cell count. I have ppms and my neuro thinks Tysabri is the only thing that will help but I am JC positive and my white blood cell count is way low. Please contact me. Thanks